In the catalytic processing of petroleum feed stocks, it is often desirable to alter the pore structure of the catalyst support in order to accommodate different types of feeds. For example, when processing feed stocks with no metals or with a low metals content, it may be technically and economically desirable to use narrow-pore catalyst supports. On the other hand, when processing feed stocks of high metals content, the metals tend to deposit rapidly on the catalyst surface and plug the pores of conventional hydrogen processing catalysts, resulting in a loss of catalytic activity for sulfur and nitrogen removal. In order to maintain hydrotreating activity, it is necessary that the catalyst be high in surface area. To facilitate the diffusion of large components into and out of the catalyst and to prevent surface deposits of coke and metals, large pore diameters are required. These criteria necessitate the use of wide-pore catalyst supports which have high surface areas and a significant fraction of large pores. The large pores allows enhanced diffusion of large molecules into the catalyst while the smaller pores, providing most of the surface area, allow for hydroprocessing of the feed. Carriers of this type can be used as hydrotreating catalyst supports, especially for residue/demetallization applications.